If you’re a church leader: recognize your staff, and perhaps volunteers, are tired. Find ways to help them rest.
If you’re a church communicator: you need to rest. Schedule time away from your email, computer, and office. The work isn’t going anywhere. Rest.
The urgent has overtaken the important
The sudden focus on communications in 2020 led to a massive realignment in most churches’ communication strategy to be woefully inward-focused. Churches were fighting battles to get urgent information out to their congregations in a timely and effective way. Information was consistently changing. And the way people were receiving information had suddenly shifted, as well. Because of this, church communications began focusing, almost entirely, on inward communications.
This focus on urgent communication has forced many churches to abandon the important. Time is spent focusing on what’s happening this week, instead of in three months. We’ve stopped reaching out to our community. The inward communication—to your congregation—should continue to be more streamlined and effective. But there needs to be an effort on marketing—external communication to non-churchgoers—if churches expect to remain healthy or grow.
Evaluating your church’s communications in the New Year
Where does your church stand in the three areas above? Here are some questions you can ask to help ensure you move toward healthier communications this year:
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Do we have a strategy for communication in place?
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How can we streamline our communications to our congregation? What’s working? What’s not working?
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How am I helping our communications leader rest?
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What can we do to make it easier for staff and volunteers to rest?
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How are we communicating with people outside of our congregation?
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What do we want to communicate to someone just learning about our church?
This article on the state of church communications originally appeared hee, and is used by permission.
